CHILDREN’S STAGE ♦  WERNICK METHOD  JAM CLASS ♦ JAM CENTRAL STATION ♦ CLOGGING CLASS ♦ (NEW!) SONGWRITING WORKSHOP

MAIN STAGE
(subject to change)

SUNDAY Sept 1, 2024

LOCATIONS ON THE GROUNDS
(subject to change)

Children’s Stage
(Building 7)

• 1:00pm & 3:00pm:  Chris Capehart, World Famous Magician

• 2:00pm & 4:00pm:  Dave Fry, Folk Singer & Master of Fun

Jam Central Station!
(Building 8)

We know that there are a lot of novice pickers who attend bluegrass festivals, and Delaware Valley is no exception. It’s often hard to find other novice pickers on the vast campground. So, because an astute Wernick Method student requested, here it is: Jam Central Station, the pickin’ place for all novice pickers.

Jam Class
(Building 8)

Wernick Method Jam Class returns again!

Heidi Olsen will host a Wernick Method Bluegrass Jamming Class each day of the festival.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

9am – 11am

Price $70 in advance, $75 at the festival. If you are not able to attend all three sessions, you may register for single classes at $30 each. This is a separate fee from the festival admission and you must purchase a festival ticket in order to participate in the Jam Class. More information is available from the Wernick Method website.

There will be lots of music happening at this great festival, and once again Heidi Olsen will be teaching a six hour Wernick Method Jam Class. This class is specifically geared to folks who love bluegrass music, play an instrument, but really aren’t sure how to start getting involved in the whole jamming scene. If you can comfortably change between G, C, D and A then you are ready to take this class.

Use this weekend to kickstart your own jamming prowess. It’s intimidating to walk up on a jam, hear someone say, “Do you know Ragtime Annie?” Someone else replies, “No, but kick it off!” Then they play a song that sounds terrific, but some of the people playing along have never even played the song before. How do they do that? This class will give you insights on how the secret world of jamming works, and will teach you ways to navigate it confidently. You will learn what to expect in a jam session, and then will spend time practicing all of those techniques.

Heidi, who has 15+ years of experience leading jam classes and is a charter Wernick Method teacher, will lead the class in gentle tempos, and give hints on how to follow along with unfamiliar songs. Mistakes are expected! You will learn the ground rules and etiquette of typical jams. You’ll learn how to lead songs, and play new songs that you have never heard before.

The class will run for six hours, two hours each morning on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. During that time you will learn how to find melodies, fake solos and sing harmony. You will learn how to properly play backup. We are a music book, tablature and musical notation free zone. The focus will be on ear skills and we will emphasize listening and reacting to the music that’s being played, because that’s how things happen in “real” bluegrass jams.

This is instruction that is understanding, low-pressure and time tested. This class is for pickers who are ready to take the next step, and want to play bluegrass music with other people and hone those skills.

It’s hard to take that first step, and put your self-esteem at risk by coming to a class like this. But it’s less fun to keep on practicing at home and not seeing any real progress in your playing. Take the chance, and sign up now for this class. You’ll get a discount, and you’ll also have committed yourself by spending money that you don’t want to lose when you decide at the last minute you really shouldn’t attend and talk yourself out of it! (Heidi has done that!)

Please note that a festival ticket is required to attend this class!

Clogging Workshops
(Building 9)

FiddleKicks will be hosting clogging workshops in Building 9 on both Friday and Saturday at 3 pm. You may attend one or both sessions.
The class will be accompanied by the old time band Tater Patch.

Songwriting Workshops
(Building 7)

(2023 info below – 2024 TBA)
The sessions will be led by Vincent Cross, a songwriter who is also an educator and an essayist. He was born in Ireland, raised in Australia, and lived for a time in London; he is now based in New York City. He is acquainted with both bluegrass and Irish traditional music, among other styles, and has released four full-length albums. He presented workshops at the Wind Gap and Podunk Bluegrass Festivals this year. He describes the classes this way:

Songwriting interpolations in Bluegrass, is about how songwriters incorporate pre-existing melodies or lyrics into a new composition to create something new and unique. This can be a powerful tool for songwriters writing genre-based songs.

Sessions will meet in the Kids Academy building (Building 7) at:

• 2pm Friday
• 4pm Saturday